Sophisticated thieves almost got him. What he did to avoid getting scammed was simple yet effective!

Have you heard of ATM skimming? ATM skimming is akin to identify theft for ATM, debit or credit cards.

Sophisticated thieves use hidden electronics to steal the personal information stored on your card and record your PIN number to access your money in your account without you knowing it until the ATM runs out of cash.

Just recently, a netizen posted a pic purportedly showing a skimming device in one of the ATM machines of Metrobank in Baybay City, Leyte. The sophisticated thieves almost got him. What he did next to avoid getting scammed was simple yet effective!

How? He just followed a simple trick; he covered the keypad with his free hand while typing the PIN code with the other hand.

He posted the pic below to warn his friends about the ‘alleged’ ATM skimming device lying inconspicuously to the untrained eye. Check the side by side comparison of an ATM machine without a skimming device and with a skimming device.

Double check if there is anything suspicious installed on the ATM. If you are a frequent user of the ATM, you will easily notice something is not right if a skimming device is installed.

Give the area of the card slot a slight nudge. (The crooks use double-sided tapes to attach the skimming device for quick retrieval).

Use your free hand to cover the keypad while typing your pin. This is to avoid your PIN number being copied by a pin capturing camera hidden somewhere. If you are paranoid, find another ATM to finish your bank transaction.